All posts for the month June, 2015

Spanish design studio Atipo has created a collection of minimalistic movie posters that are made from paper. Each paper has one detail that represents the story or character from the story. They’re all labeled individually and are fairly straight forward when it comes to interpretation. Think about what is representative of your current writing project and try making one of these paper posters. What aspect of your story or character works best for a paper representation? Write a scene that shows off whatever aspect of your story you chose to represent in your paper project.

What is a skill/talent you take for granted but at the end of the day you would hate to live without? Think of ways that you can show that your don’t really take it for granted. Find ways to improve that skill. Tonight write a poem about this skill and it’s importance in your life. Why is it important? What would happen if you didn’t have this skill? What would you give up before losing this skill?

So I was thinking about this scene in Sense8 where all of the characters share the same song playing in their minds. It’s a really cool moment but it got me thinking would all of them recognize 4 Non Blondes “What’s Up?” I know they’re link so it would be familiar through each others experience and all that. But it got me thinking about what is truly the most recognizable song worldwide. Something you could play and get almost anyone to know instantly. So I did what anyone in my generation does, I googled it. The top article to come up held a major surprise for me. I thought I’d see something like “Don’t Stop Believing.” (Lord knows it has had a lot of hype.) I even would have thought the Beatles might pop up or maybe something classical that got featured in lots of movies cartoons or something like that. But the song that was declared most recognizable by this article was “Wannabe” by the Spice Girls. Looking at the way they got their results I’m really not sure their science is sound, but since I have no science I guess I have to give them props for trying. Think about if this song is true to your character? Is there a song that is fairly universal in your character’s world. Write a scene that shows how this song can bring people together in an odd way.

We’ve all had that impulse before, when the little shoulder devil tells you that it doesn’t matter if it’s a crime, it matters if you get caught. Some of us have even acted on it. Stealing something from the store and quietly justifying it in your head. (Or whatever the case might be, I don’t know how dark some of you are BTs.) Tonight write a poem about that impulse to do something criminal with full knowledge of the consequences. What causes that urge? How do you combat it?

Split Rock Review, an online literary magazine, seeks submissions for the Fall 2015 issue. They accept poetry, creative nonfiction, fiction, graphic narratives, comics, visual poetry, digital literature, and hybrid forms that explore place, ecology, and the environment. (I’m not completely clear what those last three are but they’re taking them.) Pieces should have the author’s name, address, and email on the first page. The deadline is August 1st. Submit between three to five poems or up to 2,000 words of prose online. For further guideline and how to submit visit: https://splitrockreview.submittable.com/submit.

I read George Orwell’s 1984 this week. As I’m sure you all know from reading it or hearing about it that there is a lot of messed up stuff in there. But the thing that stuck out the most to me was how desensitized the people were. There is a scene where the main character is walking through an area that was recently hit by a bomb and sees a hand in the middle of the street. He doesn’t freak out or even feel bad he just kicks the hand aside like it’s no big deal. I know that I don’t show a lot of emotions but I’d hope that I would still show some casual interest over a hand in the middle of the street. (By casual interest I mean freak the hell out.) Write a scene that involves a character that is desensitized to violence. How does this character interact with normal characters?

This video is really cute but also makes you think a lot about different views of the world. The video features a blind girl trying to find her way through the world. The way that they show things appearing once she is aware of their position is really well thought out. Watch the video and then write a scene in which your character has to experience the world in a different way like this. There are plenty of ways for your character to be temporarily blinded if you should want them experience the world like in the video. Maybe take away a different sense and show how that changes the way your character experiences things.

We’ve all had that day where we dress with a specific purpose but then some outside force decides to mess it all up. It happened to me yesterday actually. I was all set with this really cute outfit but when I got to my office the AC was busted and there was no reason for the adorable sweater I’d planned to wear all day. Of course losing the sweater meant the outfit wasn’t nearly as cute and as the day progressed the lack of AC made me feel especially frumpy. Write a scene where something outside your character’s control messes up his clothing choice. Are the consequences for your character on the same level as mine, a day for frumpy feelings, or is your character in actual danger because of a fashion choice gone wrong? Did your character where the coat that had the fire demon exorcism ingredients instead of the one with the water demon ingredients? (Just an example of how things might get more dangerous cause of a wardrobe malfunction, I’m sure you can think of plenty more.)

It’s an unfortunate situation but we can’t always win. Sometimes the trouble we get for putting up the fight is not worth the fight itself and so we let it slide. We give in to whatever it was that we didn’t want to do because it’s not as bad as things could be if we upset the wrong person by protesting. Today write a poem about knuckling under. Write about the idea of letting a fight pass because you know that you can’t win. Maybe worse than that, that there can be no winner at all.

Think about how in fall when the ground is covered in leaves and you get that strange sense of satisfaction when you step down and hear that perfect crunch. It was so easy you did it without even thinking about it. But think of the self-control it must take to use dead leaves as a medium for art. Susanna Bauer does exactly that with her Crocheted leaf sculptures. She finds that perfect balance of delicate enough for the leaf and strong enough to pull the string. Check out Bauer’s work below and write a scene in which a character finds a way to make beauty out of something dead.